THE ALMOND TUMBLER. 87 



me the delightful opportunity of seeing his loft 

 of birds, one of which instantly riveted my 

 attention — a beautiful spangled pigeon. That 

 is the only bird I retain the faintest recollection 

 of in that loft — an Almond splash. Its gay 

 feathers, its beautiful hackle and wings glisten- 

 ing with various tints, I can never forget, 

 although I have seen and forgotten many things 

 since that day. Three or four years afterwards 

 I was in a shop kept by a man named Lemay, 

 for the purpose of purchasing a pair of blue 

 Dragons for a playmate, when a pair of charming 

 little Almond Tumblers were shown to a gentle- 

 man, the sight of which fed my love of the birds, 

 and kept it well nourished for many days. Many 

 years elapsed before I again had the pleasure of 

 seeing an Almond. 



" 1 now became apprentice, leaving home, 

 during which term several attempts were made 

 to indulge my hobby ; but having to trust to 

 others, the game did not pay for the candle. 

 However, if I could not keep Pigeons, I read 

 about them. Every scrap of pigeon-lore was 

 precious in those days. Reading the old book 

 of 1802 on the Almond was a favourite pastime 

 to me. I well-nigh knew the contents off by 

 heart. 



